Improvement in machines for winding spool-thread



2 Sheets--Sheet1.

. W. CLARK. Improvement in Machines for Winding Spool-Thread. No.128,951. PatentedJuly16,l872.

WiTNE5SE5'.

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W. CLARK.

Improvement in Machines for windi'ng Spool-Thread. NQ 128,95] IPatentedluly16,1872.

I 'Hi'l lilillllllllllll IIH IIIIIHH v WITN E5555- INVENTOR.

2 Sheets--Sheet 2'.

TTNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WILLIAM CLARK, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR WINDING SPOOL-THREAD.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,951, dated July 16,1872.

WILLIAM OLARKS specification, describing certain Improvements inMachines for Windin g Spool Thread, invented by WILLIAM CLARK, ofNewark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey.

This invention belongs to that class of machines used for the winding ofthread upon spools, in which it is required that the several layersshall be graduated to meet the shape of the ends of the spools, and theobject of the invention is to make the thread guide easily and quicklyadapted to the various kinds of work to be done, so that threads ofvarious sizes may be wound on the same machine and upon various-shapedspools without the interchanging of the parts of the machine or thetrouble and cost of making and using a great variety of cams orgraduating devices. The invention then consists in the combination, withthe thread-guide of the winding-machine,

of a pair of adjustable guides operated automatically by intermediatemechanism connectin g said guides with the traverse-bar or guiderod, andin such a manner that each layer of thread shall be laid upon the spoolthe required distance to fill the space between the heads or endsthereof, as desired.

Drawing.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a plan or top view of the mechanism inthis invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same in elevation takenfrom that end of the machine where the spool is placed. Fig. 3 is aplan, showing the guides expanded nearly to their greatest extent and incontrast to their position shown in Fig. 1, where they are nearlyclosed. Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is a view in elevation and partly in sectiontaken from the inner side of the traversing mechanism or between theguides and the traverse-bar. Fig. 5 is aview in elevation and in thesame plane of section as Fig. 4 and in opposition thereto, showing theends of the guides. Both Figs. 4 and 5 represent a crosssection andelevation taken in the plane Y'Z of Fig. 1.

The entire machine for winding thread upon spools is not here shown, butonly so much as is deemed necessary to explain the improvements nowpresented for a patent; and it nlay here be explained that a variety ofdevices have been patented for regulating the movement of thethread-guide or traverse-bar, which carries it, as may be seen in theEnglish patent of Wm. Young, in which a shaper,

conformed substantially to a section of one side of the spool, isintroduced to determine when and how far the traverse-bar and itsthread-guide shall move. Also, the stops in an English patent to oneWebberly, and also the cam or wheel of graduated teeth in the UnitedStates patent to one Conant. Reference may also be made to the Englishand United States patents to Weild, whose machines are very complete,and in which a tapering tongue is used to regulate the action of thetraverse-bar and which answers the purpose admirably, but lacks thecapacity of adjustment and therefore requires a variety of said tonguesto be kept ready to adapt the machine to all kinds of shapes of spoolsand varieties of thread.

To meet this want the present invention is made, and the improvement isshown at A A, where two pieces of metal are firmly fastened upon twosliding-bars, B B, arranged to Work in suitable bearings, O G, mountedon the frame of the machine. Said slides B B are connected at theirouter extremities by two rods or arms, D D, to a second slide, E,whichmoves in suitable bearings at a right angle to the first pair of slidesB B and forms thereby a combination of mechanism similar to the toggleor elbow-joint. Underneath the sliding-bar E a pin or stud, F, Fig. 2,projects down sufficiently to work against the face of a scroll or cam-wheel, G, which is mounted upon a shaft, H, which extends under theright-and-left screws that operate the traversebar I. Upon or near thefront end of said shaft H a ratchet-wheel, K, is fastened, and receivesits motion from a pawl, L, which is attached to a vibrating-lever,M, oneend of which is mounted upon the shaft H or concentric therewith, and iscaused to vibrate by an adjustable pin, N, working in a slot in the faceof a vertical block fastened upon the traverse-bar. The pin N is madeadjustable in the lever M to vary the vibration of the pawl L andthereby vary the movement of the scroll or cam-wheel G. It is evidentthat by such a combination of parts the guides A A, when closed ornearly so, as shown in Fig. 1, will be opened or spread apart by therotation of the shaft H, as it is caused to move by the pawl L workingfrom the to-and-fro motion of the traverse-bar, and therefore, as eachsuccessive layer of thread is laid upon the spool, the guides A and Awill by their spreading apart furnish a greater space for thetripping-finger O (that throws the sectional nuts alternately in contactwith the right-and-left screws) to traverse, and therefore the time ofwinding each layer of thread will be continued just so much longer.

To what extent such an increase of motion shall be, is determined byplacing the spool 1 upon its mandrel and dropping the thread guide S tothe starting-point for winding the thread, then turn the shaft H, bymeans of the hand-wheel T, until the pin F shall rest against the lowestpoint on the scroll-wheel or cam G, or to such a point thereon as shallhold the guides A and A the proper distance apart for the requisitetraverse of the finger O, to hold the sectional nut in contact with itsscrew for the first layer of thread, then adjust the pin Nin the slottedlever M,to give the requisite throw to the pawl L upon the ratchet K, sothat the proper expansion of the guides shall be produced at eachtraverse of the finger O, to carry the thread in each successive layerfrom end to end of the spool; then will the operation continue until thepin F drops from the face of the cam-wheel G, at which time the spool,if of the proper size, will be filled; and the windingmechanism shouldthen stop until an empty spool is supplied to the machine. As soon asthe pin F passes the highest point on the cam G, the slide E is forcedback to its first position by the contraction of the spring R, which isattached to the slides B B, and which closes the guides A A when the camG ceases to act upon the pin F.

Since the guides A A are acted upon by the toggle-arms D D it is evidentthat the expansion of said guides will be greater at the first movementof the slide E than the second, or each succeeding one, or as the arms DD approach more nearly a straight line; and therefore if the inner endsof the spool correspond to a straight hypothenuse of a triangle formedby the axis and outer ends of the spool, then the spreading of theguides must be regular in their expansion, and this may be accomplishedby increasing the cam G to give the requisite increase'of throw to theguides A A, or the teeth on the ratchet-wheel at K may be increased tocompensate for the decrease of motion from the arms D D.

To give the proper adjustment between the beginning and ending of theoperation of winding, the slides B B are slotted at their extremities,or where the arms D D are connected therewith, and the guides A A may beset at any required distance apart and relatively with the cam G, sothat the spools may be Varied in their length as compared with theirdiameter, or the size of the thread,,or the number of layers of thethread, and wound successfully without the interchange of parts, asrequired in many of the machines heretofore referred to; and anothervery great advantage is gained in the capacity of compensation for thewearing away of the cams, stops, tongues, &c., that have to be sofrequently made new in other machines.

To prevent the backward action of the pin F upon the cam G, and whilethe pawl L is out of contact with a tooth upon the ratchet K, a secondratchet and pawl, as at \V, is provided, to hold all the parts in properworking position, and instead of said ratchets and pawls, frictionalratchets on-smooth surfaces may be used, so that any throw desired maybe obtained and maintained. i

As already remarked, the winding operation should cease at the instantthe pin F drops from the highest point of the cam G, and this may beeasily accomplished by permitting the rear end of the slide E, as at Xor X, to strike a lever connected with the shipping mechanism; but asthese improvements are now combined with the Weild machines, alreadyreferred to, other means are provided to accomplish such an object veryaccurately.

I therefore claim 1. The combination of the guides A and A and expandingmechanism, with the traverse bar of a thread -windin g machine, asdescribed, and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the guides A A, slides B B, arms I) D, slide E,and cam G, as described, and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of a ratchet, as at K, either toothed or smooth, withthe guides A A of a winding-machine, as described, and for the purposesset forth.

WILLIAM CLARK.

Witnesses:

HERMAN 1\IILLER-, E. N. ELIOT.

